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The Steel Watch inBaldur’s Gate 3presents a sizable challenge to your progress in taking the Netherstone from Enver Gortash. Rather than storming Wyrm’s Rock and facing a legion of his steel soldiers, why not take the alternate route and shut down Gortash’s prized constructions?
This large quest is absolutely crucial to your victory against the chosen of Bane, and you’ll want to make sure you’ve stopped at all the right places before you take it on. If you’re feeling ready and you’re itching to bash some metal behinds in, then follow us into the city’s prized Steel Watch Foundry.
Updated June 16, 2025 by Alexis Campbell:We’ve updated the article to reflect Patch 5 and 6 bug fixes, including Thula’s or Philomeen’s spontaneously appearing vat of acid in Act Three. We’ve also included necessary requisites for involving Barcus in the questline, Tactician-difficulty specific changes to the Steel Watcher Titan, and changes to Bumpnagel’s trade inventory.
Disable The Steel Watch: Affected Quests To Consider Before You Start
There are several prerequisites to this questline as well as many related questlines that are deeply affected by finishing this quest. In essence, this is a point of no return. Some of the affected questlines and their ties include but are not limited to:
Avenge The Drowned
Finishing the Steel Watch quest first will make it impossible to reachthe Iron Throne, and all Gondians, as well as Duke Ravengard, will die.
Blade of Frontiers -Find The Way To Ansur
Starting this quest naturally is no longer impossiblewithout Duke Ravengard. If you disable the Steel Watch before saving him, he will die, but you’re able to wait to receive the book from Counsellor Florrick (if she was saved from prison). She will angrily approach you if you turn down Mizora’s offer to save the duke, and persuading her to trust you will reward you with the required book for this quest.
Avenge The Ironhands
Finishing the Steel Watch quest will prevent you from obtaining the Runepowder bomb and potentially turn the Ironhands against you. You will also not be able to speak with Philomeen or buy Bumpnagel’s wares.
Related Quests:Save Thulla
Attend Gortash’s Ordination
If you skip Wyrm’s Rock Fortress and disable the Steel Watch before watching Gortash’s coronation, Duke Ravengard and all guards of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress become hostile. It is not known to be possible to save Duke Ravengard in this manner. Fighting him will result in his death despite Non-Lethal Damage being toggled on.
Consider Gortash’s Bargain
If you destroy the Steel Watch Foundry, any alliance formed with Gortash (potential or active) will be considered null and void. Similarly, the same will happen if you free all Iron Throne prisoners.
Avenge The Ironhandswas a heavily bugged quest in versions of Baldur’s Gate 3 pre-Patch 5. Several people have complained of issues, tested and confirmed by our staff, such as a) Thulla not having anything to say in the Ironhand hideout, b) Philomeen randomly dying (according to system logs) from a mysterious, spontaneously appearing vat of acid and c) Barcus Woot not appearing for them in one or several locations along his questline due to a bug inviting him to your camp in Act Two, rendering the third ending of this questline inaccessible. Up-to-date versions of Baldur’s Gate 3 should not suffer these same issues, but reports of Barcus Woot not appearing still occasionally persist.
To begin this quest without breaking sequences of events or encountering several bugs, it is recommended tofollow this path of quest progression:
How To Begin Avenge The Ironhands
The first stepto disabling the Steel Watchis an optional oneand requires that you have done the bare minimum of two things:
You may also have elected to save Barcus Wroot from the goblins at the Blighted Village, Thulla at the Myconid Colony, and the enslaved gnomes at Grymforge in Act One and recruited Barcus Wroot to your camp in Act Two by speaking to him at Last Light Inn. To progress his questline, verify you have spoken to him and invited him to your camp after saving him from Nere in Grymforge (negotiating the gnomes' freedom from the Duergar, if needed) and that you have reunited him with Wulbren and spoken with him afterward to receive the Brilliant Retort bomb.
With the Ironhand Gnome’s leader as your friend and the Runepowder secured, you can discover theIronhand gnomes at Wyrm’s Crossingifcrossing the checkpointdoesn’t go your way or simply wander into their hideout under the crossing.
The Ironhand’s hideout isin the cliffside just southeast of the South Span Crossing.
You can reach it through methods ofclimbing over a vine wall near the crossing or by jumping downseveral wooden platforms heading southon the east side of Wyrm’s Crossing. It isa cavenestled in a narrow crevice.
As you enter, the Ironhands should welcome you in if Wulbren has been saved. Barcus may also appear here if you finished his questline in Act Two and received the Brilliant Retort.
Go to the back of the Ironhand hideoutand into the room left of the ladder.Wulbrenwill be in here.Speak with him.After you have spoken to Wulbren,speak to Barcus if he is present; you can find him in the same room as Wulbren if you’ve completed his questline.
Todisable the Steel Watch, you canagree to use the Runepowderto blow up the Steel Watch Foundry.There is an alternative method, however, if you wish to avoid sacrificing the Gondians (at the risk of losing the Ironhand’s support).
We recommend speaking with Bumpnagel. He has powerful unarmed strike gauntlets, but also, more importantly, Arrows of Aberration. These weapons are especially useful against Intellect Devourers and Mind Flayers - helpful for the final part of Act Three.
How To Break Into The Steel Watch Foundry
To enter the foundry, the best method is to take ahidden side pathfrom theWave Queen’s Temple.To safely traverse this area,you will need:
From the corner of the temple nearest the foundry,rotate your camera to see ahidden shore pathalong the outer foundry fence. You can jump down from this corner to reach it.
Follow the path forwardto a wooden docks area where you canjump upto reach the foundry.
There is one Steel Watcher patrolling this area. you may fight it or attempt to sneak past it and into the foundry through the loading bay or a side door.
As you enter the foundry, there aretwo possible outcomesdepending on the decisions you’ve made leading up to your entry.
If you have not completed the Iron Throne, the Gondians will be working. You need tospeak to Zanner Toobinin the Security Office on the east side of the foundry.
You’ll need to eitherkill everyone in the foundry, including the Gondians (not recommended),or agree to save the Gondian’s familiesin the Iron Throne.
If you have completed the Iron Throne, you’ll walk into the foundry to see an interaction between the Gondians and the overseers of the foundry. As you get close enough, dialogue will automatically trigger before leading intoa combat scenario.
In this scenario, the Gondians will be your allies as you fight against the overseers in the upstairs section.Speak with Toobinto receive the Security Office Key and temporarily recruit him.
Toobin has access toAidandGrease, but otherwise, he’sbest kept in the backdue to his squishy nature and the Blinded condition that cannot be removed.
If he is killed at any time, you can useSpeak with Deadto receive the necessary password for the control panel ahead.
Fighting the overseers, there will bedetonation devices that spawn when each one is killed. They detonate after one round. Toturn them off,you must pass aDC5 Arcana checkfor the first time and none after.
Disabling the detonation devices will take a full action, so it is recommended to keep a close eye on your action economy to prevent the Gondians from auto-dying and the foundry floor from catching aflame.
How To Reach The Neurocitor
To reach the Neurocitor, the central part of the Steel Foundry crucial to its destruction, you need toreach the Lab area first.You can do this easilyfrom the Security Officevia adoorway at the bottom of the stairswithin the office or byoperating the elevator liftthrough the lever on the Security Office’s second floor.
We recommend youtake the stairsas it will position you better for the fight to come.
Zanner Toobin can offer you the keyto the Security Office by agreeing to take him with you or by looting it off his corpse (along with a necessary keyword you need to destroy the Neurocitor in his book).
In the Laboratory, you’ll findthree groups of Gondianssurrounded by Black Gauntlets, Flaming Fists, and Hellfire Watchers (upgraded Steel Watch enemies).
If you sided with the Gondians and saved their families, the Gondians in the laboratory will fight with you. You get nothing for saving them all, butthey are a big help in this fight.
For the Hellfire Watchers, it’s recommended touse Lightning attacks.The Gondians in this area have plenty of them, making them extremely valuable to keep alive.
We recommenddefeating the humanoid enemies first. Although the Hellfire Watchers are concerning, the humanoid enemies can cast spells likeSilence, Aura of Terror, andBlight.
There is an alternate strategy, if the initiative is kind to you, to abuse the Hellfire Watchers' detonation sequences. When the Hellfire Watchers begin their sequences, you can use a Shove orThunderwaveon enemies to push them into the blast zones.
When all enemies in this room are defeated, you cancheck the corpses. The corpse ofHahns Riveshasthe Control Level Keyyou need to progress.
After looting the key, the only other thing of note in this room is a zombie and details about the Steel Watchers' creation on the east side of the room. When you’re ready,enter the door on the north sideto theControl Centre Antechamber.
Once all enemies in this room are defeated, the laboratory is bugged to no longer consider the foundry as a dungeon. You can abuse this to grant yourself a long rest, if needed, before fighting the boss of the foundry.
16
3m
Large/800kg (Construct)
22 (+6)
12 (+1)
20 (+5)
6 (-2)
10 (0)
Nonmagical weapon attacks
Psychic and Poison
Feats And Conditions
Can see 12m in the dark.
Immutable Form
It is immune to effects likePolymorphand gains a +1 bonus to Saving Throws against effects that would remove this being from this plane.
Advantage on Saving Throws against spells and magical effects.
Multiattack - Prone, Restrained, or Maimed
If the target of an attack is Prone, Restrained, or Maimed, the titan can make a Multiattack against it.
The titan cannot be Surprised.
Defensive Protocol: Bulwark
Titan takes its Unyielding state. In this state, it gains Unyielding Construct, Repair Matrix, and the ability to use Hellfire Missiles and Repelling Protocol.
Unyielding Construct (Unyielding Form)
Only an attack of more than 15 damage can deal any damage to this construct in this form.
The titan regains 3d8HP at the start of its turn.
Legendary Resistance: Crowd Control (Tactician Only)
The titan has +10 to its next Saving Throw against anything that affects multiple targets (e.g., a Fireball).
Attacks
Hellfire Curse
Cast a spell that affects a number of targets within 9m to give Disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Saving Throws.
Main Hand Attack
+10 to hit. Deals 3d12+6 Slashing damage which knocks the targets within this strike’s range (3m) Prone and Maims them.
Repelling Protocol
Repel creatures within 10m. Deal 2d8 Thunder damage and, on a failed Strength save, push enemies back 8m and knock them Prone.
Targeting Protocol: Hellfire Missiles
On the first turn, the titan aims Hellfire Missiles at one target within 18m. On the next turn, the missiles fire and deal 20d6 Fire damage. These missiles ignore Resistance and Immunity to Fire damage.
If you’ve brought Toobin along so far, he’ll wait for you in the Control Centre Antechamber and temporarily leave your party. Both he and the corpse of Lu La Forza in the antechamber will grant youthe hint you need:
When itraises its shields,strike it with every scrap of magic and might you possess…
The boss in the following area is a Construct witha large health pool and immense defensive capabilities.When the titan reaches approximatelyone-half of its healthpool, it will reach its second stage.
There are also three Hellfire Watchersin this room.One is an archerwith the ability to use Debilitating Shot.
We highly recommendusing strong Lightning magicon these constructs andfocusing on them first before the Steel Watcher Titan. Using spells likeChain LightningorLightning Boltis best for defeating them quickly.
When the Hellfire Watchers are dealt with, you canfocus on the Titan.
We recommend having one person withSentinelto keep the Titan grounded to one spot while your ranged support fires from as far away as possible.
At half health, when the second phase is reached, theTitan will take its Bulwark Form. All attacks under 15 damage will be null and void, and it will regain 3-24 HP at the start of each of its turns.
More concerning, it willbegin firing Hellfire Missilesat your party members. Since it typically targets ranged units far away, it is easily avoided so long as youmove away from the Titan.
The Titan can useRepelling Protocolto push you back. If you run toward the Titan when fleeing Hellfire Missile, you may be pushed back into the blast zone. To avoid this, move in any direction away from the Titan except toward the Hellfire Missile targets.
Continue laying into the Titan until it is defeated,prioritizing Lightning damage. With its low Dexterity and limited movement, you’ll make work of it in decent time.
After its defeat, ensure youloot its remainsbefore speaking to Toobin or interacting with the Neurocitor’s control panel. The Titan carries anInfernal Ironand the Legendary bow:Gontr Mael.
Gontr Mael
Legendary bow,+3 enchantment. Shines with light in a radius of 6m (Gontr Mael: Glowing).
Promised Victory:On a hit, inflictGuiding Bolton the target on a failed Wisdom save.
Celestial Haste:Gain 5 turns of Haste and suffer no Lethargic condition when status ends.
Bolt of Celestial Light: As an attack action and once per short rest, you’re able to make a ranged bow attack with this weapon with an additional 1d8 Radiant damage and the possibility to Frighten the target for 2 turns. On all subsequent turns until your next rest, you deal an additional 1d4 damage with weapon attacks made with this bow.
How To Destroy The Steel Watcher Foundry And Quest Endings
You can destroy the Steel Watcher Foundryin any of three ways:
When any of these three options are completed, you’ll automatically be placed outside the foundry where Wulbren and the Ironhands will greet you.
Even if you have never spoken to Wulbren and the Ironhands since arriving at Baldur’s Gate, they will appear outside the Foundry and congratulate you on your work. The dialogue does not change regardless either.
Barcus, however, is not included in this awkward encounter and must be spoken with at the Ironhand Hideout prior for him to appear.
Depending on your choices, there arethree possible endingsto this questline:
If youside with the Gondians and do not successfully Persuade(DC18) the Ironhands to leave them alone or fail your Persuasion with Barcus, you will have tofight Wulbren and the Ironhandsoutside the Steel Foundry.
No matter which ending you choose, you’ll have at least one faction on your side during the final battle against the Elder Brain. With the Steel Watch out of commission, all that’s left now is to turn your sights on Enver Gortash.
